Southgate's comeback kings get a shot at redemption

OLLIE WATKINS scored the biggest goal of his career in the dying seconds of the semi final against Netherlands to give England the chance to make amends for their painful home defeat in the Euro 2020+1 Final three years ago.

The Three Lions produced a much-improved performance against the Dutch and staged yet another comeback to make it all the way to the showpiece event for a second successive European Championship.

Once again then, Gareth Southgate stands potentially just 90 minutes away from becoming only the second boss of the England men's senior team to win a trophy after Sir Alf Ramsey's home World Cup triumph in 1966.

Yet, for much of Euro 2024, it has not looked like getting anywhere near to coming home.

England were unbeaten and topped Group C but that said as much about the failings of their opponents Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia than anything else.

Indeed, right up until the last kick of the third group game, a Danish goal against Serbia would have sent England to Dortmund for a meeting with Germany in the Last 16 - but it never came.

Nevertheless, Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen seemed tricky enough and the Slovakians took a deserved lead after 25 minutes when Ivan Schranz took advantage of a wide-open defence to score his third goal of the tournament.

Southgate had been criticised during the opening matches for being slow to make attack-minded substitutions - although the Three Lions at least were never behind at any stage of any of the group games.

Now, England were chasing - and yet, infuriatingly, Southgate continued to stand idly on the sidelines deeper and deeper into the second half.

It took until 66 minutes for Cole Palmer to make it off the bench - while Eberechi Eze had to wait until the 84th minute to be introduced.

That left Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon kicking his heels - and, even now, the 23-year-old has had just a handful minutes of action across the whole competition.

Still, nothing changed - and, as the game moved into stoppage time, an inglorious conclusion to the eight-year Southgate era awaited.

But, if you cannot be good, be lucky - and, after a Kyle Walker throw-in was nodded on by Marc Guehi, the ball fell behind where Jude Bellingham was positioned.

No matter - the Real Madrid man produced a truly spectacular overhead kick to score a brilliant equaliser; England were level and the whole complexion of the tie had changed in the blink of an eye.

With the wind in their sails, the Three Lions went straight on the attack at the start of extra time.

This time, a Palmer free-kick on the right was only half-cleared to Eze whose ball was headed on by another late substitute Ivan Toney to Harry Kane unmarked in the six-yard box.

Now with the lead, England bemusingly reverted to a defensive approach despite the increased attacking talent which they had on the pitch.

That almost proved costly and the relief at the full time whistle was palpable as the team marched on to a quarter finals against Switzerland.

This was a handy Swiss team who had easily accounted for holders Italy in their own Last 16 tie - but, in classic knockout tournament style, the encounter against England resembled a chess match.

Again, the Three Lions had plenty of the ball without any cutting edge - and it took until midway through the second half for either of the teams to take control.

Frustratingly, that team was Switzerland - and, from a ball across by Dan Ndoye via a mis-step by John Stones, Breet Embolo was left with a simple tap-in to give a lead to the Swiss with just 15 minutes remaining.

Reactive rather than proactive as ever, Southgate predictably only rang the changes while trailing - although this time the substitutes had little to do with the rapid-fire equaliser.

Instead, it was another piece of individual inspiration as Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka struck a peach of a shot in-off the post cutting in the right on the edge of the box.

Remarkably, it was England's first shot on target of the match and it meant Southgate's men had scored with each of their previous three efforts on goal across two matches. It was a frankly unsustainable approach.

After the excitement of two goals in five minutes, both teams settled the match down in the remainder of normal time and throughout extra time to the extent that penalties felt inevitable.

At least, one thing that can be said under Southgate is that England's record at penalties has improved - even if the big failure in the Euro 2020+1 Final still sticks in the throat.

In Palmer, Bellingham, Saka, Toney, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, England fielded probably their most promising line-up of takers since Alan Shearer, David Platt, Stuart Pearce, Paul Gascoigne and Teddy Sheringham stepped up at Euro 1996. 

That certainly looked the case as the current vintage all kept their cool while Jordan Pickford saved Manuel Akanji's weak opening effort for Switzerland - and so England progressed again with a perfect set of spot-kicks.

Fast improvement was needed, though, against a Netherlands side which had scored nine goals across the tournament in making it through to the last four.

Just seven minutes into the semi final, that became 10 as Xavi Simons unleashed a wonderful shot from just outside the box and England fell behind for a third successive match.

Perhaps it was because the Dutch had scored so soon - but, whatever the reason and without any changes being required from Southgate, England responded with their most convincing half of the the tournament.

On 11 minutes, Saka made a good run towards the heart of the Oranje defence and, after his blocked shot fell to Kane, the Bayern Munich blazed over.

However, the video assistant officials deemed Kane to have been impeded on the shot by Denzel Dumfries's trailing leg - and on-field referee awarded a penalty which Kane happily despatched into the bottom corner.

For once, England did not simply stop and admire their good work - and, through the previously completely anonymous Phil Foden, threatened a second goal.

First, Foden had his shot from a narrow angle cleared off the line by Dumfries then the Manchester City man smacked a thumping shot off the face of the post from 25 yards.

Nevertheless, the Dutch themselves remained a threat - and, between Foden's efforts, the all-action Dumfries clipped the bar with his header from a corner.

The pace of the tie slowed somewhat in the second half - but still there were chances as Pickford saved well from Virgil Van Dijk before Saka had a goal chalked off for a needless offside by Walker who had delivered the pull-back.

As the match headed into stoppage time, yet another bout of extra time looked to be on the cards - but England again played right to the very end as Southgate's subs made another critical intervention.

Palmer, operating on the right, played a useful ball into Aston Villa striker Watkins on the half turn.

Showing strength to hold off his marker Stefan de Vrij and simultaneously great dexterity to retain control of the ball on the turn, Watkins was able to unleash a fierce shot across the goal - and into the bottom corner of the net.

England were ahead - and, with hardly any time for the Dutch to launch a response of their own, the Three Lions are in the Final again. 

Now, Spain stand in the way - and, having scored the most goals in Euro 2024 with 13 in six wins out of six, they have been undoubtedly the best team in the competition to watch.

Indeed, if titles were decided on artistic merit, the Spanish would be walking away with the trophy already with Lamine Yamal at the forefront.

In the semi final against France, Barcelona teenager Yamal added another record to his ever-growing list of accomplishments by becoming the youngest scorer in European Championship history at the age of 16 years and 362 days.

Not only that - Yamal's equaliser was an absolute beauty, a curling shot in-off the post from 25 yards as French goalkeeper Mike Maignan conceded from a non-penalty goal for the first time in the tournament.

Four minutes later, Maignan was picking the ball out of his net again as Dani Olmo took down a loose ball and made a yard of space before a low strike on the half-volley.

It was Olmo's third goal of the tournament - all three of them coming in separate knockout stage games - as

Spain had responded brilliantly to an early French blow. For, after just nine minutes of play, Les Bleus scored their first goal from open play at Euro 2024 through Kolo Muani who headed in Kylian Mbappe's pinpoint cross.

Despite that, though, the Spanish were much the better side for most of the first hour of play, deservedly got level then ahead, and really should have extended their lead before the inevitable late French push.

But, beyond a couple of mis-timed headers by Aurelien Tchouameni and Dayot Upamecano, and a wayward shot by Theo Hernandez from the edge of the box, Spain were able to keep Les Bleus at arm's length.

Mbappe, playing without a face mask for the first time since breaking his nose at the start of the tournament, only once got down his favoured inside-left channel - but he finished his run by blazing high over the bar.

It was an effort which summed up the tournament for Mbappe and France as a whole, as Spain deservedly sealed a fifth appearance in a European Championship Final with a fair degree of comfort.

Certainly, La Roja have enjoyed a really rich vein of form throughout, from their 3-0 beating of Croatia in their opening match via further group stage victories against Italy and Albania.

In the Last 16, the Spanish ended Georgia's journey with a 4-1 win - but, while that was a favourable draw against the lowest ranked team at the tournament, Luis de la Fuente's outfit next had to take on hosts Germany in the quarter finals.

Following a cautious first half from both teams, Spain lit the touchpaper early in the second half after Olmo stroked Yamal's perfectly-timed pass across the box into the bottom corner.

Germany responded well, forcing Unai Simon into a good save from Robert Andrich while Niclas Fullkrug slid the ball against the face of the post and Kai Havertz chipped just over.

Eventually, in the 89th minute, the pressure told, as a good header down by Joshua Kimmich from a deep cross by Maximilian Mittlestadt found Florian Wirtz to supply the finish.

The action did not stop there and, in an entertaining extra time period, Mikel Oyarzabal and Wirtz sent efforts agonisingly wide as both teams went for it ahead of one final Spanish attack.

Crossing from the left, Olmo found former on-loan Newcastle midfielder Mikel Merino - and, having drifted off his marker, the Real Sociedad player made no mistake with his planted header from eight yards.

Even then, the Germans had one final chance to force penalties as Fullkrug placed his header inches wide of the post - and defeat for the Mannschaft still means no host nation has won a Euros since France triumphed back in 1984.

Now, despite an unblemished record in the group stage, Spain are not without their vulnerabilities at the back.

La Roja will welcome back Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand from suspension into the starting line-up for the Final - but the fact that both were suspended in the first place suggests this Spanish team can be stretched.

Germany, in the quarter final, and France, in the semi final, got more joy in periods when they took the game to Spain, rather than sitting back and attempting to play solely on the break.

After all, while Southgate favours cautious tactics, this Spain team is simply to good on the ball and playing too well to be allowed to dictate the pace of the match.

Instead, to stand any chance of not having to chase yet another game, the Three Lions must show the same intensity as they displayed in the semi final against Netherlands.

Ultimately, at least it can be said that England have given themselves a chance of redemption - and, at this stage, that is all you can ask. 

🟥 EURO 2024 KNOCKOUT STAGE 🟥

■ LAST 16

29-June	17:00	SWITZERLAND	2-0	ITALY	Berlin
BBC		Freuler 37, Vargas 46
29-June	20:00	GERMANY	2-0	DENMARK	Dortmund
ITV		Havertz 53pen, Musiala 68
30-June	17:00	ENGLAND	2-1	SLOVAKIA	Gelsenkirchen
ITV		Bellingham 90+5, Kane 91	aet	Schranz 25
30-June	20:00	SPAIN	4-1	GEORGIA	Cologne
ITV		Rodri 39, Fabian Ruiz 51 Williams 75, Olmo 83		Le Normand 18og
01-July	17:00	FRANCE	1-0	BELGIUM	Dusseldorf
ITV		Vertonghen 85og
01-July	20:00	PORTUGAL	0-0	SLOVENIA	Frankfurt
BBC		Portugal won 3-0 on penalties	aet
02-July	17:00	ROMANIA	0-3	NETHERLANDS	Munich
BBC				Gakpo 20, Malen 83, 90+3
02-July	20:00	AUSTRIA	1-2	TURKEY	Leipzig
ITV		Gregoritsch 66		Demiral 1, 59

■ QUARTER FINALS

05-July	17:00	SPAIN	2-1	GERMANY	Stuttgart
ITV		Olmo 51, Merino 119	aet	Wirtz 89
05-July	20:00	PORTUGAL	0-0	FRANCE	Hamburg
BBC			aet	France won 5-3 on penalties
06-July	17:00	ENGLAND	1-1	SWITZERLAND	Dusseldorf
BBC		Saka 80 England won 5-3 on penalties	aet	Embolo 75
06-July	20:00	NETHERLANDS	2-1	TURKEY	Berlin
ITV		De Vrij 70, Muldur 76og		Akaydin 35

■ SEMI FINALS

09-July	20:00	SPAIN	2-1	FRANCE
BBC		Yamal 21, Olmo 25		Kolo Muani 9

Spain Unai Simon; Jesus Navas (Vivian 58), Nacho, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Yamal (Torres 90+3), Olmo (Merino 76), Williams (Zubimendi 90+4); Morata (Oyarzabal 76) Booked Jesus Navas, Yamal
France Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez T; Kante (Griezmann 62), Tchoumeni, Rabiot (Camavinga 62); Dembele (Giroud 79), Koli Muani (Barcola 63), Mbappe Booked Tchoumeni
Attendance 62,042 at the Allianz Arena in Munich Referee Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

05-July	17:00	NETHERLANDS	1-2	ENGLAND
ITV		Simons 7		Kane 18pen, Watkins 90

Netherlands Verbruggen; Dumfries (Zirkzee 90+3), De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Reijnders; Malen (Weghorst 46), Simons (Brobbey 90+3), Gakpo; Depay (Veerman 35) Booked Dumfries, Van Dijk, Simons
England Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi; Saka (Konsa 90+3), Mainoo (Gallagher 90+3), Rice, Trippier (Shaw 46); Foden (Palmer 80), Bellingham; Kane (Watkins 81) Booked Bellingham, Saka
Attendance 60,926 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund Referee Felix Zwayer (Germany)

■ GOALSCORERS 114 goals in 50 matches (2.28 goals per game)
3 Georges Mikautadze (Georgia), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Ivan Schranz (Slovakia), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Dani Olmo (Spain), Harry Kane (England)
2 Niclas Fullkrug (Germany), Razvan Marin (Romania), Kai Havertz (Germany), Jude Bellingham (England), Fabian Ruiz (Spain), Donyell Malen (Netherlands), Merih Demiral (Turkey), Florian Wirtz (Germany), Breel Embolo (Switzerland)
1 Emre Can (Germany), Kwadwo Duah (Switzerland), Michel Aebischer (Switzerland), Barnabas Varga (Hungary), Alvaro Morata (Spain), Dani Carvajal (Spain), Nedim Bajrami (Albania), Alessandro Bastani (Italy), Nicolo Barella (Italy), Adam Buksa (Poland), Wout Weghorst (Netherlands), Christian Eriksen (Denmark), Erik Janza (Slovenia), Nicolae Stanciu (Romania), Denis Dragus (Romania), Mert Muldur (Turkey), Arda Guler (Turkey), Kerem Akturkoglu (Turkey), Lukas Provod (Czech Republic), Francisco Conceicao (Portugal), Qazim Laci (Albania), Andrej Kramaric (Croatia), Klaus Gjasula (Albania), Ilkay Gundogan (Germany), Scott McTominay (Scotland), Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Zan Karnicnik (Slovenia), Luka Jovic (Serbia), Morten Hjulmand (Denmark), Mykola Shaparenko (Ukraine), Roman Yaremchuk (Ukraine), Gernot Trauner (Austria), Krzysztof Piatek (Poland), Christoph Baumgartner (Austria), Marko Arnautovic (Austria), Patrik Schick (Czech Republic), Bernardo Silva (Portugal), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Youri Tielemans (Belgium), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), Kevin Csoboth (Hungary), Ferran Torres (Spain), Luka Modric (Croatia), Mattia Zaccagni (Italy), Kylian Mbappe (France), Romano Schmid (Austria), Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Marcel Sabitzer (Austria), Ondrej Duda (Slovakia), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia), Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey), Tomas Soucek (Czech Republic), Cenk Tosun (Turkey), Remo Freuler (Switzerland), Ruben Vargas (Switzerland), Rodri (Spain), Nico Williams (Spain), Michael Gregoritsch (Austria), Mikel Merino (Spain), Bukayo Saka (England), Samet Akaydin (Turkey), Stefan De Vrij (Netherlands), Kolo Muani (France), Lamine Yamal (Spain), Xavi Simons (Netherlands), Ollie Watkins (England) 
10 own goals Antonio Rudiger (Germany) for Scotland, Maximilian Wober (Austria) for France, Robin Hranac (Czech Republic) for Portugal, Klaus Gjasula (Albania) for Croatia, Riccardo Calafiori (Italy) for Spain, Samet Akaydin (Turkey) for Portugal, Donyell Malen (Netherlands) for Austria, Robin Le Normand (Spain) for Georgia, Jan Vertonghen (Belgium) for France, Mert Muldur (Turkey) for Netherlands

■ RED CARDS
Ryan Porteous (Scotland) v Germany
Antonin Barak (Czech Republic) v Turkey
Tomas Chory (Czech Republic) v Turkey
Dani Carvajal (Spain) v Germany
Bertug Yildirim (Turkey) v Netherlands

Euro 2024 Preview: Release the shackles

🟥 GROUP A 🟥

14-June	(8pm)	GERMANY v SCOTLAND	Munich  ITV
15-June	(2pm)	HUNGARY v SWITZERLAND	Cologne  ITV
19-June	(5pm)	GERMANY v HUNGARY	Stuttgart  BBC
19-June	(8pm)	SCOTLAND v SWITZERLAND	Cologne  BBC
23-June	(8pm)	SWITZERLAND v GERMANY	Frankfurt  BBC
23-June	(8pm)	SCOTLAND v HUNGARY	Stuttgart  BBC

GERMANY • FIFA ranking 16

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann (since September 2023)  

Qualification Host nation

Warm-up matches D0-0 v Ukraine, W2-1 v Greece

Best performance Winners 1972, 1980, 1996
Squad

Goalkeepers Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)

Defenders Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhrich (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)

Forwards Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart)

Willkommen! Germany host the European Championship finals for the first time as a unified country - although the current team enter it with much to prove after a succession of major tournament failures. Group stage exits at the World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022 sandwiched a Last 16 defeat to England at Euro 2020+1 so, remarkably, it is now eight years since Die Mannschaft last won a knockout match. Surely, with home advantage this time, that will change in the next few weeks - and head coach Julian Nagelsmann has improved results and confidence since his arrival last September following the troubled tenure of Hansi Flick. Aged 36, Nagelsmann is only a little bit older than squad mainstays Ilkay Gundogan, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller - and actually younger than veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. But, with players from the following generation such as Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane rather flattering to deceive, there is a lot of pressure already on youngsters Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.
Prediction Semi finals

SCOTLAND • FIFA ranking 39

Head coach Steve Clarke (since May 2019)

Qualification Group A runners-up (W5 D2 L1 F17 A8 Pts 17)

Warm-up matches W2-0 v Gibraltar, D2-2 v Finland

Best performance Group stage 1992, 1996, 2020+1

Squad

Goalkeepers Zander Clark (Heart of Midlothian), Angus Gunn (Norwich City), Liam Kelly (Motherwell)

Defenders Liam Cooper (Leeds United), Grant Hanley (Norwich City), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Ross McCrorie (Bristol City), Scott McKenna (Nottingham Forest), Ryan Porteous (Watford), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), Greg Taylor (Celtic), Kieran Tierney (Arsenal)

Midfielders Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Brighton), Ryan Jack (unattached), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

Forwards Che Adams (Southampton), Tommy Conway (Bristol City), James Forrest (Celtic), Lawrence Shankland (Heart of Midlothian), Lewis Morgan (New York Red Bulls)

Bullish Scotland arrive at Euro 2024 determined to make history by becoming the first of their teams to progress to the knockout stages of a major tournament. For once, the Scots made light work of qualifying, taking maximum points from their first four games, including a momentous 2-0 win over Spain at Hampden Park, to leave plenty of room for error. Steve Clarke's men needed it, being overtaken by the Spanish and gaining only five points from the second set of four matches - and there was a further sense of a loss of momentum following a 4-0 defeat to Netherlands and a poor loss at home to Northern Ireland. At the same time, while there is little expectation of a result in the opening game of the tournament against Germany, this feels very much like a squad akin in overall ability to Euro 1996 when Scotland beat Switzerland in the last set of group games to finish in third place on four points. Back then, only the top two teams progressed - but, as wily head coach Clarke has observed, a repeat outcome would be good enough this time when the Scots and the Swiss face each other again in their respective third group match.

Prediction Last 16

HUNGARY • FIFA ranking 26

Head coach Marco Rossi (since June 2018)

Qualification Group G winners (W5 D3 L0 F16 A7 Pts 18)

Warm-up matches L1-2 v Ireland, W3-0 v Israel

Best performance Semi finals 1964
Squad

Goalkeepers Denes Dibusz (Ferencvaros), Peter Gulacsi (RB Leipzig), Peter Szappanos (Paks)

Defenders Botond Balogh (Parma), Endre Botka (Ferencvaros), Marton Dardai (Hertha BSC), Attila Fiola (Fehervar), Adam Lang (Omonia Nicosia), Willi Orban (RB Leipzig), Attila Szalai (Freiburg)

Midfielders Bendeguz Bolla (Servette), Mihaly Kata (MTK), Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth), Laszlo Kleinheisler (Hajduk Split), Adam Nagy (Spezia Calcio), Zsolt Nagy (Puskas Akademia), Loic Nego (Le Havre), Andras Schafer (Union Berlin), Callum Styles (Sunderland)

Forwards Martin Adam (Ulsan Hyundai), Kevin Csoboth (Ujpest), Daniel Gazdag (Philadelphia Union), Krisztofer Horvath (Kecskemet), Roland Sallai (Freiburg), Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool), Barnabas Varga (Ferencvaros)
This is the most talented Hungary side since the Mighty Magyars of the 1950s which lost just one game between June 1950 and February 1956 - sadly, for that team, that game was the 1954 World Cup Final. Now, much of the current play runs through Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai - a dead-ball specialist and, at the age of 23, the youngest of the 24 captains at Euro 2024. Szoboszlai missed out on Euro 2020+1 through injury so will be especially eager to make up for lost time. Nevertheless, Italian head coach Marco Rossi can also count on useful contributions from Peter Gulacsi of Red Bull Leipzig between the sticks and fellow Bundesliga talent, forward Roland Sallai of Freiburg.
Prediction Last 16

SWITZERLAND • FIFA ranking 19

Head coach Murat Yakin (since August 2021)

Qualification Group D runners-up (W4 D5 L1 F22 A11 Pts 17)

Warm-up matches W4-0 v Estonia, D1-1 v Austria

Best performance Quarter finals 2020+1

Squad

Goalkeepers Yann Sommer (Inter Milan), Yvon Mvogo (Lorient), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund)

Defenders Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle United), Manuel Akanji (Manchester City), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Silvan Widmer (Mainz 05), Cedric Zesigner (Wolfsburg), Leonidas Stergiou (Stuttgart)

Midfielders Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Denis Zakaria (Monaco), Michel Aebischer (Bologna), Fabian Rieder (Rennes), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Vincent Sierro (Toulouse)

Forwards Breel Embolo (Monaco), Steven Zuber (AEK Athens), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Noah Okafor (AC Milan), Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Dan Ndoye (Bologna), Kwadwo Duah (Ludogorets)
Switzerland probably reached their high water mark at Euro 2020+1 when, in an extraordinary comeback from 3-1 down with 10 minutes left, the Nati beat France on penalties in the Last 16 following a 3-3 draw. Notably, that was the first time since the 1938 World Cup that a Swiss team had triumphed in a straight knockout match at a major tournament finals - but Murat Yakin's men were unable to build on their breakthrough moment. Instead, in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup, the Swiss were thrashed 6-1 by Portugal in the Last 16 - and an ageing team then stumbled through qualifying for this tournament. Switzerland only managed to beat Israel at home, Belarus away and Andorra twice to finish well behind group winners Romania - and it is difficult to make a case that they will be even able to make their customary appearance in the knockout stage this time.

Prediction Group stage

🟥 GROUP B 🟥

15-June	(5pm)	SPAIN v CROATIA	Berlin  ITV
15-June	(8pm)	ITALY v ALBANIA	Dortmund  BBC
19-June	(2pm)	CROATIA v ALBANIA	Hamburg  ITV
20-June	(8pm)	SPAIN v ITALY	Gelsenkirchen  ITV
24-June	(8pm)	ALBANIA v SPAIN	Dusseldorf  BBC
24-June	(8pm)	CROATIA v ITALY	Leipzig  BBC

SPAIN • FIFA ranking 8

Head coach Luis de la Fuente (since December 2022)  

Qualification Group A winners (W7 D0 L1 F25 A25 Pts 21)

Warm-up matches W5-0 v Andorra, W5-1 v Northern Ireland

Best performance Winners 1964, 2008, 2012

Squad

Goalkeepers Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad)

Defenders Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Nacho (Real Madrid), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)

Midfielders Rodri (Manchester City), Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Fabian (Paris Saint-Germain), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Pedri (Barcelona), Aleix Garcia (Girona), Fermin Lopez (Barcelona)

Forwards Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Joselu (Real Madrid), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Ayoze Perez (Real Betis)

Another tournament, another head coach for Spain with La Roja on a seemingly never-ending search for the next boss to usher in, Midas-like, another Golden Era. Indeed, since the departure of Vicente Del Bosque in 2016 confirmed the end of an epoch of unparalleled success, Spain have undergone six changes of coach with Luis Enrique appointed twice. In fairness to the Spanish FA, not all of the turnover has been of their own making - Fernando Hierro always felt like a mere stop-gap after Julen Lopetegui was sensationally dumped on the eve of the 2018 World Cup for breach of contract by holding secretive talks with Real Madrid over their then-vacant position. Meanwhile, Hierro's replacement Luis Enrique stepped down on the first occasion in 2019 for devastating personal reasons, later revealed to be the illness and death of his young daughter from cancer. Some consistency of approach is required henceforth, however - and, unless the tournament is a complete blow-out, incumbent head coach Luis de la Fuente needs time to mature a squad which is still very much in development.

Prediction Semi finals

CROATIA • FIFA ranking 10

Head coach Zlatko Dalic (since October 2017)

Qualification Group D runners-up (W5 D1 L2 F13 A4 Pts 16)

Warm-up matches W3-0 v North Macedonia, W2-1 v Portugal

Best performance Quarter finals 1996, 2008

Squad

Goalkeepers Dominik Livakovic (Fenerbahce), Ivica Ivusic (Pafos), Nediljko Labrovic (Rijeka)

Defenders Domagoj Vida (AEK Athens), Josip Juranovic (Union Berlin), Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Borna Sosa (Ajax), Josip Stanisic (Bayer Leverkusen), Josip Sutalo (Ajax), Martin Erlic (Sassuolo), Marin Pongracic (Lecce)

Midfielders Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Marcelo Brozovic (Al Nassr), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Lovro Majer (Wolsfburg), Luka Ivanusec (Feyenoord), Luka Sucic (RB Salzburg), Martin Baturina (Dinamo Zagreb)

Forwards Ivan Perisic (Hajduk Split), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Marko Pjaca (Rijeka), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Rijeka)
An astonishing fact - and one which does not seem true - is that Croatia have never won a European Championship knockout match, in four previous attempts. Of course, Hrvatska have tended to save their best performances over the years for the World Cup, finishing runners-up in 2018 and reaching the semi finals in 2022. Even in those tournaments, though, the Croatians relied at times on sheer will to get through, winning only one of their eight latter stage matches inside 90 minutes across those two tournaments. Remarkably, 35-year-old Ivan Perisic and midfield maestro Luka Modric, at the age of 38, are both still around and have been included in the squad by long-serving head coach Zlatko Dalic. Time waits for no man, though - and surely Modric, in particular, cannot endure another exhausting campaign - or can he?
Prediction Last 16

ITALY • FIFA ranking 9

Head coach Luciano Spalletti (since September 2023)

Qualification Group C runners-up (W4 D2 L2 F16 A9 Pts 14)

Warm-up matches D0-0 v Turkey, W1-0 v Bosnia-Herzegovina

Best performance Winners 1968, 2020+1

Squad

Goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)

Defenders Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan), Giovanni di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Federico Gatti (Juventus)

Midfielders Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)

Forwards Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)
In the record books, the Italian victory in Euro 2020+1 already looks like something of a peculiarity - especially as it was amidst the culmination of a three-year unbeaten run which eventually totalled 37 matches. After all, either side of that triumph, the Azzurri failed even to qualify for successive World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022 having previously been ever-present from 1950. Again, progress to Euro 2024 was a little hairy and only secured in the last group game with a 0-0 draw against Ukraine in neutral Leverkusen. The Ukrainians even had a strong shout for a penalty in stoppage time at the end of the game which, if given and converted, would have consigned the holders to yet another frightful playoff campaign. Perhaps, that win at Wembley three years ago was something of a last stand by a generation built on the foundations of a typically strong defence marshalled by Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini - and, with no obvious players of that ilk in the squad named by head coach Luciano Spalletti, it would be fair to suggest that Italy are a team in transition.
Prediction Quarter finals

ALBANIA • FIFA ranking 66

Head coach Sylvinho (since January 2023)

Qualification Group E winners (W4 D3 L1 F12 A4 Pts 15)

Warm-up matches W3-0 v Liechtenstein, W3-1 v Azerbaijan

Best performance  Group stage 2016

Squad

Goalkeepers Etrit Berisha (Empoli), Thomas Strakosha (Brentford), Elhan Kastrati (Cittadella)

Defenders Berat Djimsiti (Atalanta), Elseid Hysaj (Lazio), Ivan Balliu (Rayo Vallecano), Ardian Ismajli (Empoli), Arlind Ajeti (CFR Cluj), Naser Aliji (Voluntari), Mario Mitaj (Lokomotiv Moscow), Enea Mihaj (Famalicao), Marash Kumbulla (Sassuolo)

Midfielders Amir Abrashi, Kristjan Asllani (Inter Milan), Nedim Bajrami (Sassuolo), Medon Berisha (Lecce), Klaus Gjasula (Darmstadt), Qazim Laci (Sparta Prague), Ernest Muci (Besiktas), Ylber Ramadani (Lecce)

Forwards Jasir Asani (Gwangju FC), Armando Broja (Fulham), Mirlind Daku (Rubin Kazan), Arber Hoxha (Dinamo Zagreb), Rey Manaj (Sivasspor), Taulant Seferi (Baniyas)

By tapping into their diaspora, Albania have significantly strengthened a previously weak national team and have now qualified for two of the last three European Championship finals. No fewer than 18 of the 26 players named in the squad by Brazilian coach Sylvinho were born outside of Albania - but have found route to international football via their ancestry. Furthermore, the presence of players in Italy and Germany has allowed them to benefit from developing in teams playing a much higher standard of football than that experienced by previous Albanian generations - and a repeat of their solid though unspectacular performances at Euro 2016 suggests they will be no pushovers. Despite this, in a clear sign that not everything can be planned, the Red and Blacks have been drawn in a real Group of Death, so expect plenty of valiant effort - but for those efforts to be in vain.
Prediction Group stage

🟥 GROUP C 🟥

16-June	(5pm)	SLOVENIA v DENMARK	Stuttgart  ITV
16-June	(8pm)	SERBIA v ENGLAND	Gelsenkirchen  BBC
20-June	(2pm)	SLOVENIA v SERBIA	Munich  ITV
20-June	(5pm)	DENMARK v ENGLAND	Frankfurt  BBC
25-June	(8pm)	ENGLAND v SLOVENIA	Cologne  ITV
25-June	(8pm)	DENMARK v SERBIA	Munich  ITV

SLOVENIA • FIFA ranking 57

Head coach Matjaz Kek (since November 2018)  

Qualification Group H runners-up (W7 D1 L2 F20 A9 Pts 22)

Warm-up matches W2-1 v Armenia, D1-1 v Bulgaria

Best performance Group stage 2000

Squad

Goalkeepers Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Vid Belec (APOEL), Igor Vekic (Vejle)

Defenders Petar Stojanovic (Sampdoria), Jaka Bijol (Udinese), Miha Blazic (Lech Poznan), Jure Balkovec (Alanyaspor), Zan Karnicnik (Celje), David Brekalo (Orlando City), Erik Janza (Gornik Zabrze), Vanja Drkusic (Sochi)

Midfielders Timi Max Elsnik (Olimpija Ljubljana), Jasmin Kurtic (Sudtirol), Benjamin Verbic (Panathinaikos), Sandi Lovric (Udinese), Adam Gnezda Cerin (Panathinaikos), Jon Gorenc Stankovic (Sturm Graz), Tomi Horvat (Sturm Graz), Adrian Zeljkovic (Spartak Trnava), Nino Zugelj (Bodo/Glimt), Josip Ilicic (Maribor)

Forwards Andraz Sporar (Panathinaikos), Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig), Zan Celar (Lugano), Jan Mlakar (Pisa), Zan Vipotnik (Bordeaux)

Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek produced more magic in his second spell in charge of the national team, leading the Dragons to a major championship for the first time since he led them to the 2010 World Cup during his first period at the helm 14 years ago. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that this small, beautiful nation of just over two million people - wedged between Italy, Hungary, Austria and Croatia - has a relatively respectable record since gaining independence in 1991. In fact, this will be a fourth appearance at a major finals for the Slovenians - although qualifying for tournaments does appear to be the height of their ability. Ranked down in 57th, Kek's men are firm outsiders in this section - and, having failed to get through to the knockout stages in three previous attempts, it would be a big surprise if it were a case of fourth time lucky.
Prediction Group stage

DENMARK • FIFA ranking 21

Head coach Kasper Hjulmand (since August 2020)

Qualification Group H winners (W7 D1 L2 F19 A10 Pts 22)

Warm-up matches W2-1 v Sweden, W3-1 v Norway

Best performance Winners 1992

Squad

Goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel (Anderlecht), Frederik Ronnow (Union Berlin), Mads Hermansen (Leicester)

Defenders Andreas Christensen (Barcelona), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester), Victor Nelsson (Galatasaray), Alexander Bah (Benfica), Joakim Maehle (Wolfsburg), Rasmus Nissen Kristensen (Roma), Victor Kristiansen (Bologna)

Midfielders Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), Thomas Delaney (Anderlecht), Morten Hjulmand (Sporting Lisbon), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), Christian Norgaard (Brentford), Mathias Jensen (Brentford), Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford), Jacob Bruun Larsen (Burnley), Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Bruges)

Forwards Anders Dreyer (Anderlecht), Kasper Dolberg (Anderlecht), Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United), Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg), Yusuf Poulsen (Leipzig)

Denmark are the sole representative from Scandinavia - and, for good measure, beat their two rivals Sweden and Norway in warm-up matches ahead of this tournament. The Swedes may have Alexander Isak and the Norwegians have Erling Haaland - but the Danes comprise of a far more balanced team than either. Young forward Rasmus Hojland understandably struggled at times this season in a difficult environment at Manchester United - but he persisted and had found some form by the end of the campaign. And, while still some way off capturing the imagination in the manner of the Danish Dynamite team of the 1980s and early 1990s, the threat of Hojland can only enhance the prospects further of a squad which is otherwise largely unchanged from the selection which was good enough to reach the semi finals at Euro 2020+1.

Prediction Last 16

SERBIA • FIFA ranking 33

Head coach Dragan Stojkovic (since March 2021)

Qualification Group G runners-up (W4 D2 L2 F14 A9 Pts 14)

Warm-up matches L1-2 v Austria, W3-0 v Sweden

Best performance Never previously qualified

Squad

Goalkeepers Vanja Milinkovic Savic (Turin), Predrag Rajkovic (Majorca), Dorde Petrovic (Chelsea)

Defenders Strahinja Pavlovic (RB Salzburg), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Srdan Babic (Spartak Moscow), Uros Spajic (Red Star), Nemanja Stojic (TSC)

Midfielders Sasa Lukic (Fulham), Nemanja Gudelj (Seville), Nemanja Maksimovic (Getafe), Ivan Ilic (Torino), Srdjan Mijailovic (Red Star), Sergej Milinkovic Savic (Al Hilal), Dusan Tadic (Fenerbahce), Lazar Samardzic (Udinese), Veljko Birmancevic (Sparta Prague), Filip Kostic (Juventus), Filip Mladenovic (Panathinaikos), Andrija Zivkovic (PAOK), Mijat Gacinovic (AEK)

Forwards Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal), Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), Luka Jovic (Milan), Petar Ratkov (RB Salzburg)

Serbia are probably best described as having had a series of teams which, over the years, have produced results equal to less than the sum of their parts. After all, since the break-up of Yugoslavia following the devastating civil war and other regional conflicts throughout the 1990s, Serbia on its own had never previously qualified for a European Championship finals - and it has meant much of the relative success of the Yugoslavian national team has been attributed in retrospect to the presence of players from the other republics, especially those from Croatia. Nevertheless, there have been plenty of talented Serbians over the years - head coach Dragan Stojkovic was certainly one of them - while some of the current squad might eventually look back at their careers and wonder what might have been. With Dusan Tadic still pulling the strings, though, the Eagles can call upon the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic and Luka Jovic up front to cover for an occasionally porous defence - and they will be a threat if they can make a good start and get on a roll.

Prediction Group stage

ENGLAND • FIFA ranking 13

Head coach Gareth Southgate (since September 2016)

Qualification Group C winners (W6 D2 L0 F22 A4 Pts 20)

Warm-up matches W3-0 v Bosnia-Herzegovina, L0-1 v Iceland

Best performance Runners-up 2020+1

Squad

Goalkeepers Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Midfielders Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)

Forwards Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) 

For England, the time really is now - or, then again, maybe it was three years ago when the Three Lions blew a golden opportunity at home against Italy in the Euro 2020+1 Final for a first major trophy since 1966. Fired into an early lead through Luke Shaw, England continued to control the early part of the match - but, once a second breakthrough failed to materialise, Gareth Southgate's men became more and more cautious about protecting the lead. By the time Italy equalised in the second half, the tide had well and truly turned, and left England to hang on grimly before an all-too-familiar penalty shootout defeat. Of course, this time, Jude Bellingham will be more than the peripheral figure which he was as a teenager at Euro 2020+1 - indeed, even though head coach Southgate has denied that England will be over-reliant on Bellingham, his talent is such that only a fool would refuse to build a team around him. Outside of Bellingham, the Three Lions have an embarrassment of riches in terms of attacking midfielders to support their record goalscorer Harry Kane - to the extent that it is difficult to find a place comfortably in the starting line-up for the excellent Phil Foden. Declan Rice replaces the omitted Jordan Henderson in central midfield - and he too has an eye for goal. However, the primary issue for Southgate is the defence which has a variety of concerns about lack of form, fitness and, to an extent, experience. As such, it does not make much sense for England to persist with defensive tactics given that defending is by far their weaker hand. For the Three Lions to succeed this summer in Germany, Southgate needs to release the shackles so that England can turn the screw when it really counts - but that goes against all of the instincts shown in the role by the former centre-back.

Prediction Quarter finals

🟥 GROUP D 🟥

16-June	(2pm)	POLAND v NETHERLANDS	Hamburg  BBC
17-June	(8pm)	AUSTRIA v FRANCE	Dusseldorf  ITV
21-June	(5pm)	POLAND v AUSTRIA	Berlin  ITV
21-June	(8pm)	NETHERLANDS v FRANCE	Leipzig  BBC
25-June	(5pm)	NETHERLANDS v AUSTRIA	Berlin  BBC
25-June	(5pm)	FRANCE v POLAND	Dortmund  BBC

POLAND • FIFA ranking 28

Head coach Michal Probierz (since September 2023)  

Qualification Path A playoff winners (won 5-4 on pens v Wales, D0-0 after extra time)

Warm-up matches W3-1 v Ukraine, W2-1 v Turkey

Best performance Quarter finals 2016

Squad

Goalkeepers Wojciech Szczęsny (Juventus), Marcin Bulka (Nice), Łukasz Skorupski (Bologna)

Defenders Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Bartosz Bereszyński (Empoli), Jakub Kiwior (Arsenal), Bartosz Salamon (Lech Poznań), Tymoteusz Puchacz (Kaiserslautern), Paweł Dawidowicz (Verona), Sebastian Walukiewicz (Empoli)

Midfielders Przemysław Frankowski (Lens), Kamil Grośicki (Pogoń Szczecin), Jakub Moder (Brighton), Taras Romanczuk (Jagiellonia Białystok), Damian Szymanski (AEK Athens) Nikola Załewski (Roma), Jakub Piotrowski (Ludogorets), Bartosz Slisz (Atlanta), Sebastian Szymański (Fenerbahce), Kacper Urbański (Bologna), Piotr Zieliński (Napoli), Piotr Zielenski (Napoli)

Forwards Adam Buksa (Antalyaspor), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Krzysztof Piątek (Başakşehir), Kamil Swiderski (Verona)
Poland scrambled through to a fifth successive European Championship finals - and a fifth successive major tournament - in deeply unconvincing style so hopes are not high that star player Robert Lewandowski will mark what could be his international swansong in style. First, the Bialo-czerwoni messed up a straightforward qualifying group by losing away to Moldova and Albania - then, having ended up in the playoffs after replacing Portuguese head coach Fernando Santos with Michal Probierz, they endured a torturous 120 goalless minutes against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium. Ultimately, Poland prevailed on penalties - something might prove psychologically useful in the knockout stages. The big problem for Probierz, though, is that his side initially must overcome France, Netherlands and even an Austria outfit which might have just too much for them.

Prediction Group stage

NETHERLANDS • FIFA ranking 7

Head coach Ronald Koeman (since January 2023)

Qualification Group B runners-up (W6 D0 L2 F17 A7 Pts 18)

Warm-up matches W4-0 v Canada, W4-0 v Iceland

Best performance Winners 1988

Squad

Goalkeepers Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Mark Flekken (Brentford), Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Defenders Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Girona), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur), Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan)

Midfielders Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan), Jerdy Schouten (PSV Eindhoven), Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Joey Veerman (PSV Eindhoven), Georginio Wijnaldum (Al-Ettifaq)

Forwards Steven Bergwijn (Ajax), Brian Brobbey (Ajax), Memphis Depay (Atletico Madrid), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund), Wout Weghorst (Hoffenheim, on loan from Burnley)

Hordes of Netherlands fans - all bedecked in orange, of course - have crossed the border to Germany in the hope that their team will achieve a repeat of the last time that a European Championship was hosted in its entirety on German soil. Back then, in 1988, a Dutch line-up featuring current head coach Ronald Koeman in defence, and Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit up front, won their country's only major international honour to date in the Final against the Soviet Union. However, more recently, the Oranje have merely been seeking to recover their standing in world football following their stunning failure to qualify for the finals of either Euro 2016 or the 2018 World Cup. At the 2022 World Cup, the Dutch effectively achieved that, almost pulling off an audacious late comeback in the quarter finals against eventual winners Argentina. Striker Wout Weghorst may not have made much of an impression in the Premier League at Manchester United or Burnley - but he has a canny knack of scoring some critical goals for the Netherlands. In truth, though, this is primarily a workmanlike outfit, built around the maintenance of a strong defence and marshalled by skipper Virgil Van Dijk.

Prediction Quarter finals

AUSTRIA • FIFA ranking 25

Head coach Ralf Rangnick (since May 2022)

Qualification Group F runners-up (W6 D1 L1 F17 A7 Pts 19)

Warm-up matches W2-1 v Serbia, D1-1 v Switzerland

Best performance Last 16 2020+1

Squad

Goalkeepers Patrick Pentz (Brondby), Heinz Lindner (Union Saint-Gilloise), Niklas Hedl (Rapid Wien)

Defenders Stefan Posch (Bologna), Max Wober (Borussia Monchengladbach), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Kevin Danso (Lens), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz), Flavius Daniliuc (Red Bull Salzburg), Gernot Trauner (Feyenoord), Leopold Querfeld (Rapid Wien)

Midfielders Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Florian Kain (Cologne), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Alexander Prass (Sturm Graz), Matthias Seidl (Rapid Vienna)

Forwards Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan), Michael Gregoritsch (Freiburg), Andreas Weimann (West Brom), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg), Marco Grull (Rapid Wien), Maximilian Entrup (TSV Hartberg)

Austria enjoyed something of a breakout tournament at Euro 2020+1, winning their first European Championship finals matches at the third attempt. Without an appearance at the World Cup since 1998, the extension of the Euros to 24 teams has offered a lifeline to Austrian football - and, after six fruitless games in 2008 as hosts and in 2016, they got the better of both North Macedonia and Ukraine in Euro 2020+1. Ultimately, the Austrians' journey was then ended at the Last 16 stage by eventual winners Italy - though only after they had pushed that tie into extra time as the likes of Marcel Sabitzer of Borussia Dortmund and David Alaba of Real Madrid shone on the international stage. Sadly, the latter will not make it this time on account of an agonising anterior cruciate ligament injury - and his absence has dampened expectations of what Ralf Rangnick's men can achieve over the border in Germany.

Prediction Last 16

FRANCE • FIFA ranking 13

Head coach Didier Deschamps (since July 2012)

Qualification Group B winners (W7 D1 L0 F29 A3 Pts 22)

Warm-up matches W3-0 v Luxembourg, D0-0 v Canada

Best performance Winners 1984, 2000

Squad

Goalkeepers Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens)

Defenders Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders N'Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris St-Germain), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco)

Forwards Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain), Bradley Barcola (Paris St-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris St-Germain), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris St-Germain), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)

France may not have carried off the trophy at the last World Cup but they did maintain their position as the number one team in Europe. A hat-trick by star man Kylian Mbappe rescued Les Bleus in both normal and extra time against Argentina in a fascinating Final but defeat on penalties meant that, in both of the last two tournaments, France have gone out on penalties following a crazy 3-3 draw. The loss to Switzerland at Euro 2020+1 particularly hurt given that Les Bleus were in total control at 3-1 up with less than 10 minutes remaining - and it is actually pretty remarkable that the French have not achieved some sort of winning dynasty under head coach Didier Deschamps, given the strength of the squad which he has led since 2012. Consequently, the pressure is on France at Euro 2024 not just to compete but to win the whole thing - otherwise Deschamps will find it difficult to justify his position if an extremely talented French side miss out on the title for the third major tournament in a row.

Prediction Runners-up

🟥 GROUP E 🟥

17-June	(2pm)	ROMANIA v UKRAINE	Munich  BBC
17-June	(5pm)	BELGIUM v SLOVAKIA	Frankfurt  ITV
21-June	(2pm)	SLOVAKIA v UKRAINE	Dusseldorf  BBC
22-June	(8pm)	BELGIUM v ROMANIA	Cologne  ITV
26-June	(5pm)	SLOVAKIA v ROMANIA	Frankfurt  BBC
26-June	(5pm)	UKRAINE v BELGIUM	Stuttgart  BBC

BELGIUM • FIFA ranking 3

Head coach Domenico Tedesco (since February 2023)  

Qualification Group F winners (W6 D2 L0 F22 A4 Pts 20)

Warm-up matches W2-0 v Montenegro, W3-0 v Luxembourg

Best performance Runners-up 1980

Squad

Goalkeepers Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton)

Defenders Wout Faes (Leicester), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge)

Midfielders Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Amadou Onana (Everton)

Forwards Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Lois Openda (Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Yannick Carrasco (Al-Shabab)

"Too old" - that was the blistering verdict of Kevin De Bruyne after Belgium lost to Morocco in the course of a group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup. It was difficult to disagree with De Bruyne - especially as, following their failure in Qatar, several players followed coach Roberto Martinez out of the exit door. Most recently, veteran goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was the latest to rule himself out of these finals, ostensibly claiming to be injured before returning to the Real Madrid side before the end of the season. And, with De Bruyne's critical view from 18 months ago still ringing in the ears of his team-mates, this seems like a difficult group of players for inexperienced head coach Domenico Tedesco to manage. Some of the so-called Golden Generation, along with De Bruyne, remain in the squad including forward Romelu Lukaku - and the Belgians have also been afforded room to grow into the tournament by a reasonably kindly group stage draw. In terms of winning a trophy, though, it is probably easier at this stage to accept that the ship has already sailed.

Prediction Last 16

SLOVAKIA • FIFA ranking 48

Head coach Francesco Calzona (since August 2022)

Qualification Group J runners-up (W7 D1 L2 F17 A8 Pts 22)

Warm-up matches W4-0 v San Marino, W4-0 v Wales

Best performance Last 16 2016

Squad

Goalkeepers Martin Dubravka (Newcastle), Marek Rodak, Henrich Ravas (New England Revolution)

Defenders Peter Pekarik (Hertha Berlin), Milan Skriniar (Paris Saint-Germain), Norbert Gyomber (Salernitana), David Hancko (Feyenoord), Denis Vavro (Copenhagen), Vernon De Marco (Hatta), Adam Obert (Cagliari), Matus Kmet (AS Trencin), Sebastian Kosa (Spartak Trnava)

Midfielders Juraj Kucka (Slovan Bratislava), Ondrej Duda (Hellas Verona), Patrik Hrosovsky (Genk), Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli), Matus Bero (Bochum), Laszlo Benes (Hamburg)

Forwards Robert Bozenik (Boavista), Lukas Haraslin (Sparta Prague), Tomas Suslov (Hellas Verona), Ivan Schranz (Slavia Prague), David Strelec (Slovan Bratislava), David Duris (Ascoli), Lubomir Tupta (Slovan Liberec), Leo Sauer (Feyenoord)

History has treated Slovakian football rather unfairly with the Czechoslovakian triumph at Euro 1976 more often attributed to the Czech Republic - even though eight of the 13 players who were involved in the tournament had been born in modern-day Slovakia. Moreover, during the 47-year post-war existence of the former Czechoslovakia, and indeed in the 31-year period since its dissolution in 1993, only Slovan Bratislava - from the Slovakian capital - have tasted success on the continental stage with their victory in the 1969 Cup Winners Cup Final. Unfortunately, for the Falcons, though, it does not seem likely that more history will be made this summer with an ageing all-round team and a decidedly error-prone first-choice goalkeeper in Martin Dubravka firmly pointing instead towards a limp group stage exit.

Prediction Group stage

ROMANIA • FIFA ranking 46

Head coach Edward Iordanescu (since January 2022)

Qualification Group I winners (W6 D4 L0 F16 A5 Pts 22)

Warm-up matches D0-0 v Bulgaria, D0-0 v Liechtenstein

Best performance Quarter finals 2000

Squad

Goalkeepers Florin Nița (Gaziantep), Horatiu Moldovan (Atletico Madrid), Ștefan Tarnovanu (FCSB)

Defenders Nicușor Bancu (Universitatea Craiova), Andrei Burca (Al Okhdood), Ionuț Nedelcearu (Palermo), Adrian Rus (Pafos), Andrei Ratiu (Rayo Vallecano), Radu Dragusin (Tottenham), Vasile Mogoș (CFR Cluj), Bogdan Racovitan (Rakow Czestochowa).

Midfielders Nicolae Stanciu (Damac), Razvan Marin (Empoli), Alexandru Cicaldau (Konyaspor), Ianis Hagi (Alaves), Dennis Man (Parma), Valentin Mihaila (Parma), Marius Marin (Pisa), Darius Olaru (FCSB), Deian Sorescu (Gaziantep), Florinel Coman (FCSB), Adrian Sut (FCSB)

Forwards George Puscas (Bari), Denis Alibec (Muaither), Denis Dragus (Gaziantep), Daniel Birligea (CFR Cluj)

Romania qualified for Euro 2024 in surprisingly convincing fashion, topping the group with an unbeaten record to boot. However, expectations have been subsequently dampened by a dreary, winless run in 2024 featuring home draws against Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Liechtenstein and a defeat to Colombia in Madrid. That suggests even a section as undemanding as Group E may prove too strong for the Tricolorii - though ties against neighbours Ukraine and near-neighbours Slovakia in their first and third matches could take on a local derby-style feel where form goes out of the window. Indeed, even a single win would be the prompt for a party on the streets of Bucharest given that the last such occurrence at a major finals came 24 years ago at Euro 2000 against England when, towards the end of the third group game with the score at 2-2, Phil Neville made a calamitous decision to dive in at the feet of Viorel Moldovan. Ionel Ganea converted the resultant penalty to send Romania through and the Three Lions home - but, since then, the Romanians have not won any of their last seven European Championship matches.

Prediction Last 16

UKRAINE • FIFA ranking 22

Head coach Serhiy Rebrov (since June 2023)

Qualification Path B playoff winners (W2-1 v Iceland)

Warm-up matches D0-0 v Germany, L1-3 v Poland, W4-0 v Moldova

Best performance Quarter finals 2020+1

Squad

Goalkeepers Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica), Heorhiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv)

Defenders Yukhym Konoplia, Valeriy Bondar, Mykola Matvienko (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton), Maksym Taloverov (LASK), Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth), Oleksandr Svatok (Dnipro-1), Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr)

Midfielders Taras Stepanenko, Oleksandr Zubkov, Heorhiy Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Andriy Yarmolenko, Volodymyr Brazhko, Mykola Shaparenko (all Dynamo Kyiv), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa), Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea), Viktor Tsyhankov (Girona), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)

Forwards Artem Dovbyk (Girona), Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia), Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv)
Ukraine took a circuitous route in qualifying to a fourth consecutive European Championship finals - a sequence which started when they performed hosting duties at Euro 2012. Now, Russian bombs mean Kyiv cannot even stage the Blue-Yellows' own home matches - so it is laudable that this team remains as competitive as it does. Indeed, Ukraine ran title-holders Italy close in an extremely difficult qualifying section which also featured England, before a never-say-die attitude produced two late comebacks in the playoffs against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland. Certainly then, this squad is not short on self-belief - and, with head coach Serhiy Rebrov now serving under former Dynamo Kyiv strike partner, FA President Andriy Shevchenko, an outfit united right from the very top will back themselves to cause problems for opponents in an open-looking group.

Prediction Quarter finals

🟥 GROUP F 🟥

18-June	(5pm)	TURKEY v GEORGIA	Dortmund  BBC
18-June	(8pm)	PORTUGAL v CZECH REPUBLIC	Leipzig  BBC
22-June	(2pm)	GEORGIA v CZECH REPUBLIC	Hamburg  BBC
22-June	(5pm)	TURKEY v PORTUGAL	Dortmund  ITV
26-June	(8pm)	GEORGIA v PORTUGAL	Gelsenkirchen  ITV
26-June	(8pm)	CZECH REPUBLIC v TURKEY	Hamburg  ITV

TURKEY • FIFA ranking 40

Head coach Vincenzo Montella (since September 2023)  

Qualification Group C runners-up (W5 D2 L1 F14 A7 Pts 17)

Warm-up matches D0-0 v Italy, L1-2 v Poland

Best performance Semi finals 2008

Squad

Goalkeepers Mert Gunok (Besiktas), Ugurcan Cakir (Trabzonspor), Altay Bayindir (Manchester United)

Defenders Zeki Celik (Roma), Merih Demiral (Al Ahli), Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce), Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray), Samet Akaydin (Panathinaikos), Ahmetcan Kaplan (Ajax)

Midfielders Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Okay Yokuslu (West Brom), Orkun Kokcu (Benfica), Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce), Arda Guler (Real Madrid)

Forwards Cenk Tosun (Besiktas), Irfan Kahveci (Fenerbahce), Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray), Yunus Akgun (Leicester), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Bertug Yildirim (Rennes), Semih Kilicsoy (Besiktas), Yusuf Yazıcı (Lille)

Turkey were one of the surprise packages in qualifying, winning their group ahead of Croatia - but this is still a team well short on the quality produced by the generation in the 2000s decade who reached semi finals in both the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008. Recent form is a concern, in particular - in March, the Crescent-Stars were thrashed 6-1 by Austria and they have also been beaten by Hungary and Poland this year. Fortunately, for Vincenzo Montella's men, Group F includes the lowest-ranked team of the tournament Georgia - and the Turkish population numbers a significant 1.3 million in Germany so the team will be well-backed throughout the tournament. Nevertheless, a good start against the Georgians will be essential - and, with the two countries sharing a border, that sounds easier than it probably will be for this limited outfit.

Prediction Group stage

GEORGIA • FIFA ranking 75

Head coach Willy Sagnol (since February 2021)  

Qualification Path C playoff winners (won 4-2 on pens v Wales, D0-0 after extra time)

Warm-up matches W3-1 v Montenegro

Best performance Never previously qualified

Squad

Goalkeepers Giorgi Loria (Dinamo Tbilisi), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia), Luka Gugeshashvili (Qarabag)

Defenders Guram Kashia (Slovan Bratislava), Otar Kakabadze (Cracovia), Lasha Dvali (APOEL), Jemal Tabidze (Panetolikos), Luka Lochoshvili (Cremonese), Giorgi Gocholeishvili (Shakhtar Donetsk), Giorgi Gvelesiani (Persepolis)

Midfielders Nika Kvekverskiri (Lech Poznan), Otar Kiteishvili (Sturm Graz), Giorgi Chakvetadze (Watford), Levan Shengelia (Panetlikos), Giorgi Tsitaishvili (Dinamo Batumi), Anzor Mekvabishvili (Universitatea Craiova), Giorgi Kochorashvili (Levante), Sandro Altunashvili (Wolfsberger AC), Jaba Kankava (Slovan Bratislava)

Forwards Giorgi Kvilitaia (APOEL), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli), Budu Zivzivadze (Karlsruher), Georges Mikautadze (Metz), Zuriko Davitashvili (Bordeaux), Saba Lobzhanidze (Atalanta United)
Georgia may not conjure too many images of football glory - but the history of the sport in the Eurasian nation is far richer than many people realise. True, Euro 2024 will be the first time since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 that Georgia has reached the finals of a major football tournament finals. But, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, number one club side Dinamo Tbilisi were a force with which to be reckoned and won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1981. Their vast stadium also once squeezed in a crowd of 110,000 spectators for a European Cup first round triumph against Liverpool in 1979 - and it is still used to this day by the national team as well as Dinamo. The Crusaders certainly used the red-hot atmosphere to their advantage in the playoffs where they overcame a nervy Greece side in the Final on penalties - and, while they will struggle to replicate that sort of atmosphere this summer away in Germany, it will an unforgettable experience for the supporters as well as each and every member of Willy Sagnol's squad.

Prediction Group stage

PORTUGAL • FIFA ranking 6

Head coach Roberto Martinez (since January 2023)

Qualification Group J winners (W10 D0 L0 F36 A2 Pts 30)

Warm-up matches W4-2 v Finland, L1-2 v Croatia, W3-0 v Ireland

Best performance Winners 2016

Squad

Goalkeepers Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Patricio (AS Roma)

Defenders Antonio Silva (Benfica), Danilo Pereira (Paris St Germain), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

Midfielders Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Otavio Monteiro (Al Nassr), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Vitinha (PSG)

Forwards Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Goncalo Ramos (PSG), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Rafael Leao (AC Milan)

Portugal will be pleased to have been drawn into such a favourable group and their perfect record of 10 wins out of 10 in qualifying should be fooling no one given the quality of their opponents. Nevertheless, as the old saying goes, they could only beat what was placed in front of them - and they did so convincingly, scoring 36 goals and conceding just two with 10-goal Cristiano Ronaldo still front and centre, ruling the roost. Ronaldo is 39 years old now and plying his trade at Al-Nassr in the seemingly unchallenging Saudi Arabia Pro League - yet he continues to excel on the international stage with his brace against Ireland in a warm-up match this week taking him up to 130 goals for A Selecao. Rather than age then, the biggest obstacle to success for the Portuguese might be the tactical acumen of Spanish head coach Roberto Martinez who rarely convinced during his six-year tenure in charge of Belgium's so-called Golden Generation.

Prediction Winners

CZECH REPUBLIC • FIFA ranking 36

Head coach Ivan Hasek (since January 2024)

Qualification Group E runners-up (W4 D3 L1 F12 A6 Pts 15)

Warm-up matches W7-1 v Malta, W2-1 v North Macedonia

Best performance Runners-up 1996
Squad

Goalkeepers Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague), Matej Kovar (Bayer Leverkusen), Vitezslav Jaros (Sturm Graz)

Defenders Ladislav Krejci (Sparta Prague), Martin Vitik (Sparta Prague), Robin Hranac (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Vlcek (Slavia Prague), Vladimir Coufal (West Ham), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), David Jurasek (Hoffenheim), Tomas Holes (Slavia Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague)

Midfielders Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Antonin Barak (Fiorentina), Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague), Pavel Sulc (Viktoria Plzen), Matej Jurasek (Slavia Prague), Vaclav Cerny (VfL Wolfsburg), Lukas Cerv (Viktoria Plzen), Ondrej Lingr (Feyenoord)

Forwards Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), Adam Hlozek (Bayer Leverkusen), Mojmir Chytil (Slavia Prague), Tomas Chory (Viktoria Plzen), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague)
Czech Republic endured a difficult qualification campaign which spelled the end of the road for coach Jaroslav Silhavy - who fled Don Revie-style to the Middle East to take charge of Oman. Silhavy blamed the media and some of the fans for his departure - but it was hardly as if the criticism was completely unfounded after a 0-0 draw against Moldova and one point out of six against Albania left progress to the finals in some doubt. In the end, a vital point away at Poland assuaged those concerns as the Czechs finished runners-up behind the Albanians on goal difference with 15 points out of 24. There is no doubt, though, that new head coach Ivan Hasek will get more from talented pair Patrik Schick and Adam Hlozek who starred in Bayer Leverkusen's stunning unbeaten Bundesliga campaign.

Prediction Last 16

Euro 2012 qualifiers: Scotland slump out while Irish enjoy the rub of the green

SCOTLAND failed in their bid for an unlikely Euro 2012 playoff spot after losing 3-1 to Spain in Alicante tonight.

The Spanish, who had already easily won Group I, dominated the early exchanges and David Silva gave the hosts the lead by firing under goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

Scottish hopes were now pretty much in the hands of Lithuania who were at home to the Czech Republic but, here also, matters went against Craig Levein's men.

Michal Kadlec gave the Czechs the lead from the penalty spot and, by half time, Scotland were effectively out of Euro 2012, going 2-0 behind to another Silva goal while the Czechs led by three.

It was to the Scots' credit then that they fought valiantly in the second half even though they fell further behind when Silva set up David Villa for his 50th international goal.

Blackburn Rovers' David Goodwillie pulled a goal back with his first touch from the penalty spot while, hundreds of miles away, another penalty by Darvydas Sernas also reduced Lithuania's deficit to 3-1.

But confirmation that it was the Czechs - and not Scotland - who would make it through came when Kadlec scored his second spot-kick of the night to make it 4-1 in Vilnius.

Holders Spain thus finished top of Group I with a 100% record with the Czech Republic in second but the Spanish were not the only team with a perfect record.

Euro 2008 runners-up Germany matched that achievement with 10 wins out of 10 in Group A as they easily beat playoff hopefuls Belgium 3-1 in Duesseldorf.

Mesut Oezil and André Schuerrle struck late in the first half before Mario Gomez added another goal just after the restart. Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini scored a consolation goal back for the visitors after 86 minutes.

The Belgians' defeat let in Guus Hiddink's Turkey for the runners-up spot after Burak Yılmaz scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Azerbaijan in Istanbul.

Russia sealed their expected qualification from Group B with a 6-0 thumping of Andorra leaving Republic of Ireland and Armenia to slug it out for a playoff place.

The Irish won the race but only after a dramatic night at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Almost two years on from Thierry Henry's handball in the 2010 World Cup qualifying playoffs, this time Lady Luck smiled on Ireland in two quick successive handball incidents.

West Brom striker Simon Cox appeared to take down a long ball with his hand before his attempted lob was saved by the chest of Armenian keeper Roman Berezovski.

Extraordinarily, Berezovksi received a red card for illegally denying a goalscoring opportunity and it got worse for Armenia before half time.

For Ireland went 1-0 up, not through their own effort but following an own goal from Gevorg Ghazaryan who poked into his own net when it was just as easy to clear the ball for a corner.

After the break, Giovanni Trapattoni's men put themselves in an even better position when Richard Dunne bundled home from close-range.

But the Armenians, who were top scorers in the group with 22 goals, hit back straightaway as Henrik Mkhitaryan took advantage of slack marking to hit a low shot past Shay Given.

If Armenia had been the group's livewires, then the Irish had been the stalwarts and that was the first goal that Ireland had conceded in more than eight international matches.

Trapattoni's perfected catenaccio ensured this would be their only defensive lapse and Ireland will now contest their sixth playoff since 1996.

By contrast, Estonia have made it into their first playoff without playing after Slovenia outdid their Balkan rivals Serbia with a 1-0 win in Group C.

Slovenia, who had nothing to play for, scored on the stroke of half-time through Dare Vrsic before Serbian skipper Nemanja Vidic had a second-half penalty saved by Samir Handanovic.

Serbia's defeat left them a point behind Estonia who completed their programme on Friday with their second successive win over Northern Ireland.

Those defeats brought the resignation of Nigel Worthington's whose reign bowed out on a low note with a 3-0 defeat to runaway leaders Italy in Pescara.

Milan striker Antonio Cassano scored goals either side of half time before a late own goal by Gareth McAuley left Worthington with just two wins in his last 24 matches.

In competitive games overall, Worthington oversaw only eight wins in 26 games and his record was simply not good enough in the end - even for a wee country.

While Estonia had exceeded expectations by making a playoff from Group C, Bosnia-Herzegovina were trying to go one better this evening by beating France in Paris to top Group D.

The shock looked on when Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko gave the lead to the visitors just before half time.

But the French got out of jail with just 12 minutes left when Dzeko's club mate Samir Nasri scored from the spot having been tripped himself by Emir Spahic.

Laurent Blanc's side finished on 21 points, a point clear of Bosnians who nonetheless still harbour hopes of a place in a major tournament as an independent nation for the first time, despite not being seeded in the playoffs.

Group E runners-up Sweden have no such concerns after depriving Netherlands of a 100% record by beating them in the final qualifier in Stockholm.

Kim Kallstrom gave the Swedes an early lead before the Dutch hit back either side of half-time through Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt.

But Sweden knew that a win would qualify them automatically as the best-runner up in the nine groups and Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson scored a second goal in a week before Ola Toivonen hit the winner a minute later.

There was an even more dramatic finish in Group F as Euro 2004 champions Greece came from behind to beat Georgia and seal a place in the finals.

It all looked like going wrong for Fernando Santos' men after David Targamadze gave Termuri Ketsbaia's Georgians the lead while Croatia led 2-0 at home to Latvia in Rijeka.

However, Giorgos Fotakis scored a vital equaliser with 10 minutes left, rendering the Croats' result irrelevant, before Angelos Charisteas made sure there would be no Greek tragedy in Tblisi. Slaven Bilic's Croatia will contest the playoffs.

And finally, the biggest upset of the night came in Copenhagen where Denmark beat Portugal 2-1 to win Group H and consign Cristiano Ronaldo and co to the playoffs.

The Danes' victory was richly deserved after Morten Olsen's men scored a goal in each half through Michael Kroen-Dehli and Nicklas Bendtner to ensure they kept their 100% home record. Ronaldo's stoppage time strike was much too little, too late for the Portuguese.

Group G is only the section not yet mentioned as there was nothing riding on tonight's results with England having qualified after Friday's draw against Montenegro, and with the Montenegrins having made the playoffs.

Nevertheless, it is worth commenting on a third successive win for Wales as Gareth Bale scored his second goal in a week to beat Bulgaria 1-0 in Sofia.

Bulgaria fans boycotted this qualifier and their action comes as no surprise given their team finished bottom with just five points from eight games.

Gary Speed's improving Wales were fourth despite losing their opening four qualifiers, and they were denied third place only because Switzerland took advantage of a disinterested Montenegro team to win 2-0.

QUALIFIED TEAMS
Poland (co-hosts)
Ukraine (co-hosts)
Germany
Netherlands
Italy
Spain (holders)
England
Greece
Russia
Denmark
France
Sweden (best-runner up)

PLAYOFF DRAW:
Turkey v Croatia
Estonia v Republic of Ireland
Czech Republic v Montenegro
Bosnia-Herzegovina v Portugal
First legs played on 11-12 November. Second legs on 15 November.

EURO 2012 RESULTS
11 October 2011
Final group-by-group standings (BBC)

GROUP A
Germany 3-1 Belgium
Turkey 1-0 Azerbaijan
Kazakhstan 0-0 Austria

GROUP B
FYR Macedonia 1-1 Slovakia
Republic of Ireland 2-1 Armenia
Russia 6-0 Andorra

GROUP C
Italy 3-0 Northern Ireland
Slovenia 1-0 Serbia

GROUP D
Albania 1-1 Romania
France 1-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina

GROUP E
Hungary 0-0 Finland
Moldova 4-0 San Marino
Sweden 3-2 Netherlands

GROUP F
Croatia 2-0 Latvia
Georgia 1-2 Greece
Malta 0-2 Israel

GROUP G
Bulgaria 0-1 Wales
Switzerland 2-0 Montenegro

GROUP H
Denmark 2-1 Portugal
Norway 3-1 Cyprus

GROUP I
Lithuania 1-4 Czech Republic
Spain 3-1 Scotland